Reyna Calls For More Homecomings

New York midfielder Claudio Reyna believes it would be a great boost for the future of MLS if several of his veteran World Cup 2006 teammates also found their way back to the States to play their soccer.

The former U.S. captain will be making his first appearance in his home league after terminating his contract with Manchester City.

“I think that the designated players should be Americans,” Reyna told the New York Times. “The Beckham situation is unique, something that is great for the league because of the attention it brings.”

“On the other hand, I would like to see guys like (Fulham strike ace Brian) McBride, (Borussia Mönchengladbach keeper Kasey) Keller and (Leeds United winger Eddie) Lewis, who have been in Europe for a long time because I believe they want the league to flourish.”

“I think it’s important to have some older heads around,” he explained. “That’s how the kids learn to become good pros.”

“At (Bayer) Leverkusen, I had Bernd Schuster and Rudi Völler in the locker room every day,” Reyna recalled. “They wanted to win all the time, even on the training ground.”